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Jahan Dotson Named Big Ten East Preseason Honoree, Biletnikoff Award Candidate

The preseason hype continues to build for Penn State football stud wideout Jahan Dotson.

The Nazareth, Pa., native was named a Big Ten East preseason honoree Thursday morning. Just a few hours later, he was named to the Biletnikoff Award preseason watch list, which has been awarded to the nation’s top pass catcher since 1994.

Dotson was joined by four other Big Ten East stars on Thursday’s list of preseason honorees, including Indiana signal-caller Michael Penix Jr., Ohio State left tackle Thayer Munford, and Buckeye wide receivers Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave. That pair of Ohio State wideouts each totaled 700+ receiving yards in 2020, while Dotson showed out for a conference-leading 884 yards and eight touchdowns.

Outside of his success as Sean Clifford’s favorite target, Dotson also blossomed on special teams. He averaged 24.6 yards per punt return this past fall, and even took one all the way to the house in a win over Michigan State.

As for the Biletnikoff watch list, Dotson was named among 51 of the nation’s top wide receivers and tight ends. A Nittany Lion hasn’t won the award since star wideout Bobby Engram took it home the first year it was given out. That honor came after Engram racked up 52 catches and 1,029 receiving yards in a legendary campaign. A Big Ten player hasn’t taken home the honor since Michigan’s Braylon Edwards back in 2004.

Dotson is expected to be the engine that makes Penn State’s offense go this fall. He served as a security blanket for Clifford for much of 2020, as he had at least two catches in every game and put up triple-digit receiving yards in five of nine outings.

While the star was racking up preseason awards Thursday morning, he was representing the Nittany Lions at Big Ten media days alongside head coach James Franklin, PJ Mustipher, and Tariq Castro-Fields.

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About the Author

Will Pegler

Will is a senior majoring in digital and print journalism and is an associate editor for Onward State. He is from Darien, Connecticut and is a lifelong Penn State football fan. He loves a good 80's comedy movie, Peaky Blinders, The Office, and the New York Yankees and Giants. You can catch some of his ridiculous sports takes on his Twitter @gritdude and yell at him on his email [email protected]

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